


One Two Punch

by Bay



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alcohol, Background Claudeleth, Gen, Post-Golden Deer Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Two dudes having a friendly brawl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29406402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bay/pseuds/Bay
Summary: Balthus accompanies Claude to Almyra, and while there they make a pitstop to Nader's place. He gets to know Nader better on a round of drinks and a friendly brawl match.
Relationships: Balthazar von Adalbretch | Balthus von Albrecht & Nader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	One Two Punch

Balthus had never been to Almyra before, but heard a lot about that place. The few people that left Kupala would cross the border and then came back to tell stories of how great the food and parties in Almyra were. When he was in the academy, his best pal Holst would get letters from his father describing how strong but reckless Almyran soldiers were in battles. Hearing about Almyra made Balthus want to party and brawl with them.

After the war, he went to Almyra with Claude. Bahar, Claude's white wyvern, was a fast flyer as they were able to pass Fodlan's Throat and crossed the border within two days. So far there was desert that stretched for miles. The scorching winds blasted Balthus's face and caused him to spit the dust out. He often would look down below to see the various villages and towns they passed by, many having clay buildings and lively markets from what Balthus could tell. 

"How much further until we're at that guy Nader's place?" Balthus asked loudly while he and Claude were still on Bahar. The wyvern flew on top speed and the beat of his wings were loud, so he wanted to make sure that Claude heard his question.

"Just a little bit further!" Claude yelled as he glanced over his shoulder. "The next city we hit is where he lives, you can't miss it."

"Alright, got it." Balthus nodded and looked down below. The plan was for him and Claude to stay at Nader's place for a day or two and then meet with Claude's parents. Claude's mother was Tiana, so of course thinking about her made his spine tingle. 

If he were honest with himself, traveling with Claude was on a whim. His other Ashen Wolves pals were going to do bigger and better things: Constance and Hapi plan to travel all around Fodlan to help out with the rebuild while Yuri and Dorothea wanted to start an opera company. He was happy for his friends of course and certain he would meet with them again, but for a moment he was lost over what to do next. The day after the Resistance Army celebrated their victory with a huge feast, Claude announced that he was leaving for Almyra and wished everyone on rebuilding Fodlan. Upon hearing that, Balthus decided that he would go to Almyra with Claude. 

"Hey, pal. So you're going to Almyra, huh?" Balthus asked him when he and Claude were at the bridge towards the church. That led Claude to offer him a raised brow and then a smirk.

"Yeah, I am. Already missing me?"

"Actually, there's something I want to ask you. Why don't I join you in Almyra?"

A stunned look crossed Claude's face, and he asked him why he wanted to go to Almyra with him. Balthus said he thought it would be good for him to get out of Fodlan for a while and experience new places. When Claude teased that he actually wanted to see his mother, Balthus flinched and admitted while that was part of it, he genuinely wanted to go experience Almyra. After some consideration, Claude grinned and responded that he could accompany him to Almyra. 

"So you're excited to see Nader?" Claude asked, which pulled Balthus away from his thoughts. Balthus blinked at first, and then he grinned.

"Yeah, of course! I've heard stories of 'Nader the Undefeated' and how he's a beast in fights. It sucks that he only stayed for a bit during the battle of Fort Merceus."

Claude let out a sheepish laugh. "Sorry about that, he and his army had to leave early. I think you two will hit it off, though!"

"Really? Well I hope so!"

It wasn't long until they reached into the next town. Balthus gazed below to see many people coming in and out from vendor tents and other buildings. There was a school where the children were playing outside. Several neighborhoods with red dirt paths and houses close to each other were scattered around. Next to the town was a large hill filled with more houses but bigger than the ones below. Claude told his wyvern to drop down, which he did.

They stopped at what Balthus assumed to be Nader's house. The architecture was different from the houses in Fodlan: one of the roofs was a dome with blue tiles and gleamed in the sunlight. Next to the house was a wide open space where Nader threw a piece of meat towards his wyvern. The man watched the beast swallow its food for a moment before he turned around to see Claude and Balthus in front of him. 

"Master Claude!" Nader cheered just as Claude and Balthus jumped off Bahar. 

"Hey, Nader!" Claude approached him and the two shared a handshake. 

"It's great to see you, kiddo." After giving Claude two pats on the shoulder, he said, "So I heard that Fodlan is united at last and that professor of yours is overseeing things."

"That's right, Teach will be taking things over in Fodlan. Now that I'm here, I'll resume my princely duties."

“That’s great! Your parents will be pleased with your return.”

“Wait, princely duties?” Balthus raised a brow and his mind buzzed like a bee. A large grin stretched across his face. “Hah! I knew something was up!” 

Claude gave him a funny look. “Oh? How so?”

“Come on pal, you forgot? The times where I bothered you about your history and you were secretive about that? And that time where you were like ‘Claude‘s a common name that even new moms can’t pass up’?”

After regarding him a moment, Claude chuckled and put his hands up in defeat. “Okay, you got me. You already figured out that I wasn’t from Fodlan and that Claude wasn’t my real name. It’s Khalid. My father is the king of Almyra, which makes my mother the queen.”

This time his face fell. “Hold up, so Tiana is the queen?” Balthus let out a whistle. “No wonder she didn’t return Fodlan, she landed the jackpot there. And Khalid sounds like a great name.”

Throughout their conversation, Nader crossed his arms and furrowed his brow. At that moment, he offered Balthus a hearty laugh.

“You must be clever to figure out the kiddo’s secrets. What’s your name, friend?” 

“I’m Balthus, a pal of Clau—um, I mean Khalid.” He noted himself to refer to Claude as Khalid from now on. “I’m accompanying him in Almyra.”

“Is that so? Hah, good to see Khalid brought a friend with him, then.” Nader’s expression changed, as if he had a realization. “You’re the one that kept punching monsters and yelling ‘another one for the King of Grappling!’ I’m actually impressed by your strength.”

With a smug face, Balthus bragged, “So you did notice me! Those monsters were tough but were no match for the Indomitable King of Grappling!” He then said, “You’re a swell fighter yourself. Khalid said that you had to leave early, though.”

Nader hung his head down and rubbed the back of his neck. “Indeed my men and I left early due to Fodlan being suspicious of Almyrans. With Khalid returning, however, that might change.”

Khalid chuckled and had his hands on his sides. “Relations between Fodlan and Almyra won’t happen overnight, but I’ll work hard to make that happen.”

Balthus hummed and raised his chin. “I voiced my concerns whether the drastic changes would end well or not, but I’ll support Khalid’s endeavor all the way.”

“Well I look forward to that, kiddo!” Nader then said, “So you two will be staying for the night?”

“That’s the plan,” Khalid said. “I told Balthus that you two would get along well.”

“Well I’m delighted!” Nader flashed both men a grin. “Why don’t we celebrate the prince's homecoming with some drinks?”

Elated, Balthus pumped his fist in the air and shouted, “Alcohol? Heck yeah!”

“This will be a great opportunity to catch up,” Khalid said, grinning. 

“Wonderful!” Nader clapped his hands together and looked over his shoulder. His wyvern stretched its neck and growled. “You can leave Bahar with Cenk also.”

“Right.” Khalid nodded and faced his wyvern. “Hey Bahar, we’ll be staying here for the night. I trust that you’ll behave?”

Bahar responded by screaming, stomping one leg on the ground, and flapping his wings. Khalid chuckled and patted the wyvern’s front right leg.

After Khalid said goodbye to Bahar, Nader led the men to his house. Smiling, Balthus looked forward to both the alcohol and getting to know Nader better. 

xxx

Nader's house was bigger and fancier than Balthus had expected. The main chamber's walls and dome roof were decorated with blue tiles in geometric shapes and floral design. The windows were draped in golden curtains, similar to the sun. He, Khalid, and Nader sat on seats made of silk and drank a type of alcohol called raki. Apparently it needed to be mixed with chilled water. It tasted sweeter than the usual beer he had back in Fodlan, but already he was a fan of it.

During their drinking and conversation, Balthus got to know Nader a little more. He learned that Nader was Khalid’s mentor and the one that taught him how to use the bow and ride a wyvern. He was strict as an instructor but much more laid back when in battle. His favorite pastimes were flying, drinking, and fishing. The battle scars on his face were from a few fights he partook in when he was younger. So far Nader seemed like a cool guy to talk with. Balthus took another gulp of the raki as he listened to Khalid telling Nader what happened in the final battle against Nemesis and the Ten Elites.

"So I purposely aimed the arrow upwards and waited until it hit the crusty bastard's arm. That's when Teach took the opportunity to do the finishing blow with her sword!" Khalid sipped some of his drink, set it aside on the coffee table, and leaned back against the wall with a smirk. "And that's how we defeated Nemesis and saved Fodlan."

Nader laughed and clapped his hands. "Sounds like an epic battle! Wished I was there to witness it all."

"You should've been there, pal! You probably would get a kick out of beating Nemesis's Elite goons." Balthus drank the last of his raki, put his glass down, and gave out a contented sigh. "I've heard from Khalid that you met with a guy named Holst Goneril and had drinks with him. Am I right?"

Nader blinked and a half-smile formed on his lips. "Yes, we have. Why did you ask?"

"Holst and I were best pals during the academy. I was shocked when Khalid was able to set up a meeting with you two."

"Ah, I see. Holst and I crossed paths a few times, great fighter and a lively fellow. One time he dodged one of my men's hand axe, punched him, and stole his horse!"

"Hah, that sounds like him! If we're going to exchange stories of Holst, I have a good one for you. We were assigned to deal with a few wolf beasts outside Garreg Mach. My class and I managed to kill most of them, but one came and bit my leg. Holst came to the rescue by climbing on the wolf and sinking his axe into its skull!"

"How bad was the bite?" Khalid asked out of concern.

"It wasn't too deep thankfully, but enough that my leg needed some stitches and I was out of commission for a couple of weeks. If Holst hadn't come to save the day I probably would've lost that leg."

"Ah, okay," Khalid said and sighed in relief. "I guess Garreg Mach assigned students such dangerous missions for experience. Some bandits and a monster or two is fine, but there's still a high chance of them getting badly hurt."

Nader faced him and said, "That's also some story you have there. You're lucky to have a friend like him." He drank some of his raki and let out a satisfied sigh. "Tell me a little about yourself, Balthus."

Balthus was chewing some grapes from a bowl and almost choked upon hearing that. He punched his chest to have the food go down inside his throat and cleared his throat. "Well, my father was a low-rank nobleman while my mother came from the mountain village of Kupala. I was supposed to be the heir to House Albretch, but then I relinquished the title to my half-brother instead."

"So you're from a noble house like the kiddo, huh? Hah, wouldn't have guessed that based on your rugged appearance!" Nader ate a couple of grapes from his own bowl. "Why did you leave, though?"

"Things got complicated after my father remarried and my step-mother made things a living hell for me." Balthus grabbed the bottle of the raki, poured himself another glass, and took a sip. "Also the noble life isn't for me in the end. I get to live the life I want."

Nader regarded him a moment, and nodded. With a grin, he said, "I admire you for making a bold move there, and I believe the same thing. My parents died young and my aunt ended up being my guardian. She was overbearing and even set up an arranged marriage for me."

Balthus's eyes grew wide and he narrowed them. Memories of his father and step-mother's wedding creeped up in his mind; the way his gaze was distant as he said his vows to his new wife, Balthus knowing full well his father missed his mother very much. He forced himself to get back to reality and asked, "Did you end up going through with that marriage?"

A small smile formed on Nader's lips and he shook his head. "Nah, I didn't. I canceled the arrangement, which made my aunt furious. I ended up marrying the woman I loved instead. Now I'm one of the leading commanders of Almyra's army, have a beautiful family, and haven't looked back since."

"I remember you telling me this before. Glad that things worked out for you in the end." Khalid rose up and raised his glass. "To us forging our own paths!"

Both Balthus and Nader also got up and cheered, "Here, here!" All three men swallowed their drinks and sat back down. While taking another piece of grape, Balthus mused that it was cool that Nader had a family. And speaking of which...

"You said you have a family, yeah? Are they here?"

"My wife and daughter are away to visit some relatives. They'll be back within a week, I believe." He offered Khalid a smirk and used his elbow to nudge on his arm. "You remember them, right kiddo?"

"Of course I do," Khaild said with a chuckle. "My memory hasn't gone to mush yet."

Grinning, Balthus asked, "Oh so you know his daughter? Is she hot?"

Nader and Khalid were drinking when he said that, which then caused them to spit the alcohol out. 

Once he recovered, Khalid cleared his throat. "I guess it depends what your definition of 'hot' is. She's not as outgoing as her father, but the two have the same humor."

Nader laughed and said, "Since now you're here, you and Damla can catch up!"

With a frown, Khalid said, "If you're thinking of setting me up with her I'm not interested. Besides, my heart is with someone else."

Raising a curious brow, Nader asked, "Oh, who is this lucky person, then?"

"For now I'm keeping that a secret, but you'll know soon enough," Khalid said and winked.

As he crossed his arms and smiled, Balthus already had an idea who Khalid's special someone was. For now he kept that to himself and waited until the two were alone to ask if his guess was right. 

Nader waved his hand in a defeated gesture. "Fine, fine, I'll bother you about that another time." He turned to Balthus, his grin widening. "Would you like to meet my daughter?"

"Really?" Balthus asked, his face lighting up. He thought he blew his chances by asking if she was hot, so he was glad that was water under the bridge. "Yeah, sure man!"

"Great, then I'll have that arranged!" Nader then asked, "I recall that you like brawling, right?"

Balthus blinked at him, confused. "I do, yeah. Are you asking for a brawl?"

Nader's smile widened. "Ah huh. I'm interested in how strong you are!"

After having a couple of glasses, Balthus was a little buzzed but still able to see fine and talk normally. It would usually take him several drinks until he lost his balance, and he had done fights more drunk than this. He grinned and responded, "Is that so? Well, I never say no to a brawl." Balthus got up and slammed his fist on his palm. "Let's do this!"

"A drunken brawl between you and Nader would be funny to see," Khalid said as he rose from his seat, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Might be something I'll tell my kids someday."

Nader also got out of his seat and slapped his hands together two times. "It's settled, then! We'll have the brawl outside in the front yard." 

"Sounds good to me, pal!"

After grunting in approval, Nader was the first to leave the chamber room. Balthus left with Khalid; as they were alone now, he wanted to talk to him about the prince's "special someone."

"Hey, so that special someone you mentioned earlier. It's your former professor, right?"

That caused Khalid to stop and raised a suspicious brow at him. "Are you trying to investigate my romantic life now?"

"Huh?" Balthus narrowed his eyes at him. "No, it's not like that at all! I've just noticed how close you two have gotten, that's all."

Khalid stared at him for a moment, and his face softened. "I guess there's no use to hiding it from you now. Yes, Byleth and I are seeing each other. I plan to talk to my parents about our courtship, so keep it between us until then, okay?"

With a grin, Balthus said, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." He glanced at the chamber room, admiring it, and left with Khalid.

Soon he would have a brawl with Nader; the anticipation made his blood boil with excitement. He too was interested in how strong the other man was.

xxx

Outside the sun was almost set with the sky fused into low hues of purple and orange and several stars popping up. The wyverns Bahar and Cenx curled up and took a nap. Both Balthus and Nader covered their wrists with hand wraps and stretched in preparation for the brawl. 

"So have you seen Nader full on brawl before?" Balthus asked Khalid as he rolled his neck.

"A few times. His style is a little different than yours, so he can get a run of your money."

"A run for my money, huh?" Balthus glanced at Nader, who was grunting and moving his arms around. "I would love to see that!"

"That maybe the case ten or so years ago, but I'm not getting any younger." For emphasis, Nader patted his stomach and chuckled. "Still, I'm also excited to see what you're made of!"

"Hey, what's going on here?" a new voice asked. Balthus turned around to see two men approaching him. Both had the same dark skin as Khalid and Nader, one of them taller and having a bigger build than the other. The smaller man wore a headband around his forehead. 

"Adem, Isa!" Nader greeted them, grinning. "Khalid has just returned from Fodlan and brought along a friend with him."

"Khalid's back?" the taller man said, offering Khalid a smile. "I take it that everything's taken care of now in Fodlan?"

"That's correct, Adem," Khalid said. "As prince, I'll be working hard to bring both Almyra and Fodlan together."

Both men nodded, and then Adem said, "I still think folks from Fodlan can be scummy at times, but after that one battle where we helped you I'm willing to give them a chance." When he noticed Balthus, Adem approached him and held out his hand. "You must be the friend Nader just mentioned. I'm Adem, and this is Isa."

"Nice to meet you both," Balthus said and shook both Adem and Isa's hands. "People call me Balthus, the King of Grappling!"

"You two are just right on time as Balthus and I are about to do a friendly brawl," Nader said. 

"A brawl, huh?" A grin stretched across Isa's face. "Hey Adem, Khalid. You guys want to bet who will win?"

"Sure!" Adem said with a smug face. "My money's on Nader. I take it you'll go for the new guy?"

"Ah huh. I think Balthus there has the speed to outdo Nader."

Balthus's own face split into a grin. He turned to Khalid and asked, "Is gambling allowed in Almyra?"

"Well..." Khalid gave a downcast expression. "Technically no. Our religion specifically says that we have to give money to the less fortunate. That didn't stop people from doing it in secret, though."

Balthus would make bets all the time back in the Abyss, whether it be him as one of the fighters or not, because it was a way to get some quick money. A part of him thought a bet would make this fight interesting, but another part of him didn't want to take advantage of Nader. A small frown formed on his lips.

"Thinking about it, probably it's best if money is not involved here. This was supposed to be a friendly brawl, after all!"

Both Adem and Isa gave out disappointed groans while Khalid showed an approved look. Nader laughed and grinned. 

"I don't mind that my boys want to have a bit of fun, but I also respect you for not allowing it to happen." He clapped both hands together. "Now, why don't we get started with our brawl, then?"

"Hell yeah!" Balthus yelled, pumping his fist in the air. 

Both men got in their positions and did their upright stances. Balthus attempted a jab at Nader, who blocked it with his wrapped fists and pulled back. Nader also attempted to punch Balthus, only for him to duck and jab Nader's face. A grin formed on Nader's lips.

"That's quite a first punch there, kiddo."

"Thanks, but I'm just warming up!" Balthus smirked and did another jab at Nader's face, a small bruise now forming on the older man's face. He attempted an uppercut punch, only for Nader to block it and react with a sucker punch. Balthus's jaw was in pain for a few seconds, but he shook it off and his grin grew wide. "Is that the best you got?"

He and Nader exchanged several blows at one another. Balthus often blocked or dodged, but Nader still was able to land some hits. Each of his punches were more powerful than the last and he had good footwork for a man at his age. Every time either one of them landed a blow, Isa, Adem, and even Khalid would cheer which would pump Balthus's adrenaline. Eventually the distance between them had closed and Nader attempted to grapple him. 

"Haha, gotcha!" Nader said proudly as he grasped Balthus's arms tightly against his own body.

"You got some strong arms there, pal," Balthus said while struggling against Nader's grip. Some seconds passed until Khalid approached between them and separated the two.

"Okay, that's enough grappling there Nader," Khalid said. "Gentlemen, take your positions once again."

The two didn't hesitate to launch at each other. Nader landed a punch on Balthus's chin and attempted another, but he blocked it with his arms and snuck in two punches at Nader's jaw. Balthus tried another punch, but Nader bobbed his head and did a close punch on Balthus's own jaw. A drop of blood appeared on Balthus's lips, and he chuckled.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!"

"Come on Nader, you got this!" Adem shouted, pumping his fist in the air.

"Go, Balthus, go!" Isa also shouted and did the same gesture as Adem.

As he and Nader went back and forth with their punches, Balthus's adrenaline kicked in even more. It wasn't often he faced an opponent that could handle more than a handful of punches from him, and he loved every moment of it. Nader was indeed the real deal.

After several more exchanges, Balthus swayed his head but Nader was able to hit his jaw. The force of that punch was less than his last few ones. Nader also rolled with Balthus's own punch and attempted at one last punch. Balthus parried that and did an uppercut at Nader's chin, causing him to fall and crash on the ground. Balthus held his breath, and several seconds had passed and Nader hadn't gotten up.

"And the winner of this brawl goes to Balthus!" Khalid announced excitedly. He lifted Balthus's arm up in the air, and both Adem and Isa erupted in cheers. Hearing that he won made Balthus's heart race and stomach jump. 

"The King of Grappling has done it again!" he yelled out, feeling buzzed from both the alcohol he drank and the victory. 

Still on the ground, Nader let out a groan. Isa went and helped him get up. There were several bruises and a bit of blood on Nader's face. Balthus's heart sank upon seeing that, so he approached him.

"Mind if I check your bruises real quick?"

Nader titled his head and gave him a confused stare, and then he smiled. "Sure, go right on ahead."

With a soft grunt, Balthus kneeled down and gently touched Nader's face. Some of the bruises were darker than others. Balthus took a deep breath and summoned a white magic rune in front of Nader's face. He could feel sparks tingle all over his body while he healed the bruises. Eventually the bruises faded and Nader's face was cleaner than a moment ago. Isa and Adem gasped in surprise while Khalid looked on with a knowing smile. Nader rubbed his cheeks and let out a satisfied grin.

"Oh wow, my face feels very smooth!" he praised. 

"Balthus is pretty decent with white magic," Khalid said. "He healed me several times and I was back on my feet in no time."

With a sheepish laugh, Balthus rubbed the back of his neck. "I know it's strange considering I just beat you up and all."

Nader gave a dismissive wave. "Nah, I appreciate that you checked up on me. I'm glad to have gone against a worthy opponent as yourself."

A smirk formed on Balthu's lips, and he raised his chest with his hands on his sides. "You were spectacular out there yourself, pal! I hope to still be in great shape when I get to your age."

Nader laughed. "Well I'm flattered! And I'm sure you will!"

"I'm very impressed with your brawling skills there!" Adem said and made a soft punch on Balthus's shoulder. "You gotta teach me some of your moves."

"Same here!" Isa exclaimed.

"Looks like you got some eager students there, Teach," Khalid said as he crossed his arms and smiled.

Balthus's grin widened. "Sure! You guys will get an exclusive brawl seminar from the King of Grappling!"

"That sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe I'll attend your seminar too," Nader said with a chuckle. "We still have some raki that needs to be finished! Adem, Isa, you guys can also join with us!"

Everyone responded with cheers. Before everyone headed to the house, Nader flashed Balthus a grin and patted his shoulder. As he followed everyone to the house, Balthus mused that he could get used to staying in Almyra and being friends with Nader.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey so I wrote this for Solaris: A Balthus Zine and one of the pitches I had was Balthus getting to know Nader. That idea was inspired by Balthus and Claude/Khalid's ending where, surprise, Balthus is Nader's son-in-law haha. But yeah, I'm so honored to be a part of that zine and everyone in it did wonderful work!
> 
> I also want to give a special shoutout to Nader's voice actor Brad Venable, who had passed away back in early January. I wrote and finished this story in November/December, but Brad did a great job as both Nader and Kostas and thought it would be appropriate to mention him here. Seeing him being loved by the voice-over community was so heartwarming.


End file.
